I may have to change my blog slogan to here.there.everywhere.nowhere.  It's been a few months since my last post, maybe you've noticed?  On March 1st I became very sick.  The cause remained unknown until about 2 weeks ago.  In fact, I should say cause(s).  The first may be thyroid related.  It causes my energy levels to be really good or REALLY bad.  The second is due to food sensitivities.

Food insensitivities are delayed food allergies.  This means when I eat certain things, it doesn't affect me for hours or even days later.  After a somewhat expensive blood test, it revealed I have 37 food sensitivities.  While my doctor and I are watching my thyroid hormone levels, I am on a strict diet for the next 2 to 3 months, after which I can slowly re-introduce most of the foods back into my diet. 

Food sensitivies, if left unchecked, can turn into full-blown food allergies, so I am taking this diet pretty seriously.

Here is a small list of foods I have to avoid for the summer:

• cow's milk
• wheat
• barley
• baker's and brewer's yeast
• rye
• corn
• rice
• tapioca
• sugar cane

As you can see, this is a lot of stuff.  Not only that, but many products contain derivatives of these foods.  For example, I was happy to find Soy Chedder Cheese, but not so happy to see Corn Starch as one of the ingredients.  Annoyingly, there are many products I can almost have, but it will contain a corn derivative (like dextrose, maltodextrine or Xanthan gum (which may or may not come from corn)) or sugar cane. 

I've been learning lots about health and food and decided I'll  be starting a new journal on this blog about food sensitivities.  I've also found a number of recipes which I'll share.  Maybe it will help others who find themselves in a similar situation.